For some, their Daytona 500 dream will finish on Thursday night time on the finish of the Daytona Duel races. Together with the 36 chartered entries which might be assured a spot within the race, 9 open entries have additionally entered the Daytona 500 – bringing the entry checklist to 45 automobiles.
The issue is that there are solely 41 spots accessible on the grid for NASCAR’s greatest race. Via time trials on Wednesday and the warmth races on Thursday, eight drivers can be vying for the ultimate 4 spots on the grid, whereas Jimmie Johnson in a ninth open entry will take a particular provisional to make sure his place within the discipline.
However who’re these Daytona 500 hopefuls?
Right here’s an in depth have a look at every of the open entries, 4 of which won’t be collaborating within the 68th operating of ‘The Nice American Race’ at Daytona Worldwide Speedway on February 15:
Justin Allgaier – No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports Chevrolet
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos
The crew co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. is again for an additional run on the Daytona 500. JR Motorsports is among the most profitable groups within the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Collection (NOAPS), however final yr, they entered the five hundred for the primary time as an open entry. 2024 NOAPS champion Justin Allgaier was making his first 500 try in a decade, however certified the automobile on pace, and went on to snag a top-ten end within the race. With a Hendrick engine below the hood, are an early favourite to make the five hundred once more.
Corey LaJoie – No. 99 RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie, RFK Racing Ford
Photograph by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photos
LaJoie is a strong superspeedway racer, and he could have the backing of a crew that has gained this race twice earlier than. One other sturdy candidate to make the sphere, LaJoie made the present in 2025 with Rick Ware Racing, which has far fewer sources than RFK. He additionally went on to contend for the win, and crashed from contained in the top-five on the ultimate lap of the race. If he makes the present, this can be LaJoie’s tenth consecutive begin in NASCAR’s crown jewel occasion, the place he has completed as excessive as fourth. He may also have three locked-in teammates to depend on, which is able to assist him tremendously within the Duels.
Corey Heim – No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
Corey Heim, Toyota
Photograph by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Photos
One other driver who could have three chartered teammates to depend on (in addition to a crew proprietor with three 500 wins), the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection champion is making an attempt to make his debut within the Daytona 500. Driving for the crew co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, Heim is ready to compete in 12 Cup races this yr, however this can be his first ever Cup race at a superspeedway. He additionally is aware of what it is prefer to miss a race in a 23XI automobile, not at Daytona, however on the Chicago Road Course final summer season.
Chandler Smith – No. 36 Entrance Row Motorsports Ford
Chandler Smith, Storage 66 Ford
Photograph by: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Photos
Along with its three chartered entries, FRM may also deliver a fourth open entry to Daytona with the crew’s Truck Collection common behind the wheel. This can be Smith’s third try and make the five hundred, all coming with three totally different groups. Sadly, he is 0-2 as he did not make the race with Kaulig in 2023 and once more with Storage 66 in 2025.
Anthony Alfredo – No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
Anthony Alfredo, Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
Photograph by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Photos
Beard Motorsports is a part-time crew that focuses on superspeedway races with technical assist from RCR. This would be the crew’s tenth consecutive try on the Daytona 500, having solely missed the present 3 times. Sadly, a kind of DNQs got here final yr with Alfredo, however this similar pairing made the race collectively in 2024.
JJ Yeley – No. 44 NY Racing Workforce Chevrolet
JJ Yeley, NY Racing Workforce Chevrolet
Photograph by: James Gilbert / Getty Photos
A journeyman racer and a real underdog if he could make it into the race. Yeley is a veteran with almost 400 Cup begins during the last twenty years. He has made eleven earlier makes an attempt on the 500 with 9 totally different groups! And whereas he has six begins within the 500, his final 4 makes an attempt have all resulted in DNQs. This can be his first yr making an attempt the race with the NY Racing Workforce, which final made the five hundred in 2022 with Greg Biffle behind the wheel.
Casey Mears – No. 66 Storage 66 Ford
Casey Mears, Storage 66 Ford
Photograph by: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Photos
Mears is essentially the most skilled Cup driver not but locked into the race, however he’s driving for a crew that has a spotty report with regards to making it into the sphere at Daytona. Mears is just some begins shy of 500 Cup races, which incorporates 13 earlier begins within the 500. He virtually gained the race in 2006, ending second. He has 15 whole makes an attempt on the 500 in his profession, lacking the race in each 2010 and 2011. And whereas he’s extremely skilled, Mears hasn’t made a Daytona 500 try in seven years. This crew final certified for the season-opener in 2020, and has since DNQed in each subsequent try.
BJ McLeod – No. 78 Stay Quick Motorsports Chevrolet
BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
Photograph by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos
This driver/proprietor used to have a chartered entry, however he offered it for upwards of $40 million a couple of years in the past, downsizing and turning the No. 78 right into a part-time effort. He has 5 begins within the Daytona 500, however did not make the race in each years as an open entry (2024 and 2025). Whereas the percentages aren’t in his favor, he does have loads of associates within the storage and that’s one thing you at all times want at a drafting monitor like Daytona.
*LOCKED IN: Jimmie Johnson – No. 84 Legacy Motor Membership Toyota
Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Membership Toyota
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos
There’s no understating this entry. NASCAR Corridor of Famer Jimmie Johnson is a seven-time Cup Collection champion, driving a automobile he co-owns as he embarks on his twenty third Daytona 500 – a race he has gained twice earlier than (2006, 2013). Not like the opposite drivers on this checklist, he’s locked in through the Open Exemption Provisional, which is simply accessible to all-star drivers and provides an extra forty first spot to the grid. Johnson has 700 Cup begins, together with 83 wins, which places him sixth on the all-time wins checklist. Final yr, he completed third within the Daytona 500 driving this No. 84 automobile, which was the 50-year-old racer’s first prime 5 end since 2020.
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